Salonaz Sami was there on the tense night when the Wafd Party decided to dismiss its chairman Just moments after the decision to fire Noaman Gomaa from his position as head of the historic Wafd Party was announced last Wednesday, all hell broke loose at the party's Doqqi headquarters. Hundreds of anti-riot police forces were ordered to cordon the building off, barring anyone from coming in or going out. This police presence, however, did nothing to prevent the violent clashes that erupted between Gomaa's supporters and those in favour of the decision to remove him. "It's tragic to see such a historic party lapse into this kind of severe internal dispute," said Ahmed Mustafa, a Wafdist who was among tens of party members who had gathered around the party's headquarters. According to Mustafa, the party's problems revolve around the personal interests and ambitions of its leading officials, who do not "truly care about reform, or the party's future." Most of those who came to the party's headquarters that night, suggested Mustafa, were concerned more about the future of the party itself, than about providing support for either Gomaa, or Mahmoud Abaza, the man who has temporarily taken Gomaa's place at the party's helm. Abaza himself seemed to agree with this interpretation, arguing that, "this gathering shows that the party members still care very much about the Wafd's future, and that they stand united for areform and change." In any case, the already tense scene became even more enflamed when Abaza's supporters began to chant anti-Gomaa slogans. One of them, Mohamed Sallam, told Al-Ahram Weekly that they were "not going to leave until Gomaa accepts the decision and leaves forever". Gomaa, after all, had clearly decided that he was not going to take the decision lying down. "Instead," Abaza said, "he brought thugs in to disrupt the High Council's meeting and prevent any action or decision being taken against him." As a result, Abaza said he and his supporters were forced to spend the night at the party's headquarters in order to protect it from any subversive acts that might have been perpetrated by Gomaa's supporters. "We are not going to leave," Abaza told the gathered crowd, "because everyone here is a Wafdist who has the right to stay and help determine the party's future." In the meantime, Abaza's supporters had forced Gomaa into a small room, a move that council member Mohamed Abdu described as "unfair, since Gomaa -- 77 -- suffers from heart problems". Following intense negotiations, Gomaa was eventually forced to leave the party's headquarters in the morning. "I made a big mistake," Gomaa told reporters as he left, "in choosing people who could not be trusted -- and now the party and I are paying a dear price." Gomaa said his rivals had done everything possible to evict him, including cutting the water supply and electricity and telephone lines to his office. "Not to mention the thugs who threw rocks at my office window, and the critical slogans that Abaza's supporters chanted against me all night long." In spite of all this, Gomaa said, "I will never give up." A week later, he still hasn't, and the clash -- although not as violent -- continues.
